Woodbridge Tide Mill

Woodbridge Tide Mill Museum is OPEN

A calendar with planned wheel turning times and milling demonstrations is on the 'Plan Your Visit' page https://woodbridgetidemill.org.uk/plan-your-visit/. For a guided tour for private groups – get in touch below.

About Woodbridge Tide Mill

The earliest record of a tide mill on this site by the River Deben is in 1170. It was owned by the Augustinian Priors for around 350 years until Henry VIII confiscated it, and for the next 28 years it was in royal ownership.

Elizabeth I sold it to Thomas Seckford whose family owned it for over 100 years, followed by several private owners. When it closed in 1957 it was the last commercially working tide mill in England. It was saved in 1968, carefully restored and opened to the public again in 1973.

It is now one of only two tide mills in the country still producing stoneground wholemeal flour. Recently, further protection and restoration work has brought it back into use, endowed with a new giant waterwheel and many fascinating exhibits that show what life was like for the miller, and indeed all the other people and creatures at the mill (join the mouse hunt). 

Since then it has become one of the most valued and interesting attractions on The Suffolk Coast. For centuries man has worked at the Tide Mill, harnessing the reliable and green energy of the tide to produce flour; and the volunteers that take care of the Tide Mill have been honing their skills at the grinding stones, practicing this traditional art.

The Tide Mill has a jam-packed schedule of published milling times on its website that show when visitors can watch the historic water wheel in action and see the millers making flour.

The Tide Mill is ideally situated to be the first stop on your visit to the beautiful market town of Woodbridge. It is adjacent to Woodbridge Museum and The Longshed providing three interesting attractions all on Woodbridge's historic riverfront. Follow the river wall for a tranquil walk along the bank of the River Deben or saunter across Quayside into Woodbridge to browse the shops or grab a bite at one of the many fine pubs and restaurants.

To avoid disappointment make sure you visit www.woodbridgetidemill.org.uk to find out the next milling time and the Tide Mill’s opening hours.